VANESSA LAURIE/Stuff
September was the hottest September on record.
September was the warmest September on record, Niwa says, and vegetable producers say access to water will be a key consideration over the months ahead.
Niwa said the national average temperature last month was 11.9C, 1.3C above the 1991-to-2020 September average and the warmest since the seven-station temperature series began in 1909.
A period of exceptionally high temperatures for early spring were recorded on September 20 and 21.
This included a maximum temperature of 29.6°C in Wairoa, which is the highest September temperature on record for the North Island, and New Zealand’s third-highest September temperature on record.
Of the six main centres in September 2023, Auckland was the warmest, Tauranga was the sunniest, Dunedin was the driest, Wellington was the wettest and least sunny, and Christchurch was the coolest.
Richard Burke, chief executive of LeaderBrand, which grows broccoli, lettuce, sweetcorn and salad leaves, among other crops, said vegetable growers were always keeping an eye on the weather.
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Scientists at Plant & Food Research are growing fruit in a lab.
“It is our livelihood, and it also means that we can organise the farm and our team better knowing the conditions,” he said.
”A dry spell, at this stage, for vegetable growers is a reason to celebrate. After a year of rain, floods and cyclones, the weather really has made it one of our hardest years to grow vegetables on record.”
He said the business tended to operate better in dry conditions because it was easier to manage planting and harvesting schedules. It could use irrigation if needed.
But he said a drought would not be good news, either.
“We know that rain is important for the summer periods, particularly for keeping dams and aquifers full for irrigation. Vegetables do tend to grow better and quicker in warmer conditions, meaning that there is more supply, which helps to stabilise and reduce the price of vegetables.
“Access to water is key to the drier months and thanks to constant rain over the last year, aquifers across the country are currently very full.”
He said farmers around the country needed better access to, or ability to store, more water.
A spokesperson for Foodstuffs said an El Nino weather pattern should be good news for fruit and vegetable supply.
